Animal-trap.



A. BLAKESLEE;

ANIMAL TRAP. APPLICATION FILED APR- 26,1915- RENEWED JAN. 3- 1917.

1,218,514. Patented Mar. 6; 1917.

Attorneys ARCHIE BLAKESLEE, 0F TIONES'IA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 26, 1915, Serial No. 24,076. Renewed anuary 3,1917. Serial No. 140,470.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIE BLAKESLEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tionesta, in the county of Forest and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Animal-Trap, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to improvements in animal traps, oneobject of the invention, being the provision of a trap adapted forcatching without injury various rodents or fur bearing animals, the samebeing provided with a means for indicating from a distant point whetherthe trap has been actuated, so that the trapper in making his rounds ofthe traps will not necessarily have to visit each trap individually toascertain whether or not the same has been sprung.

A further object of the present invention, is the provision of a trap ofthis character in which the spring actuated door is held elevated by anovel treadle actuated means so that the present device may be manipulated into set positions without endangering the trapper.

A still further object of the invention, is the provision of anauxiliary door adapted to be used in connection with the present deviceso that animals of various sizes may be excluded from the trap so that aparticular sized animal may be caught therein.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit oftheinvention.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete trap inthe position it assumes when the door is sprung.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through the same showing indotted lines the position of the door when set.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the treadle and base holding the memberin its operable relation.

a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional viewthrough one corner of the trap.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates thecaptivity chamber of the present trap, which is provided with the twooppositely disposed longitudinal mesh walls 2 with the solid bottom 3and the solid top 4 and with the solid rear wall 5. The forward wall 6is composed of'two vertical plates adapted to limit the movement of thedoor 8 in its closed position and also to constitute a guide for theauxiliary member 12, which is provided with the opening 13, there beinga number of these members 12 furnished with each trap so that varioussized openings 13 may be provided to thus permit the passagetherethrough of the desired sized animal to be caught;

Pivoted for swinging movement by means of the rod 7 at the upper forwardend at the front of the present captivity chamber, is a door 8, which isprovided with springs 9 to normally hold the same in closed position,the carrying member 7 being provided with the arm 10, which extendsupwardly and acts as a lever for actuating the door to dotted lineposition as shown in Fig. 2 and also carried upon its free end, thesignal device 11, which indicates when in its uppermost position, thatthe trap is sprung. In order to provide .a means for locking mama Mar.e, rem.

the door in the dotted or elevated position as shown in Fig. 2, there isdisposed for longitudinal reciprocation, the rods 14, said rods 14 beingheld adjacent the under side of the top 4 bymeans of the guiding staples15 so that the forward end thereof may be 7 disposed below the loweredge of the door 6 to thus maintain the same in the elevated or setposition. The opposite end of'the rod 14 is provided with an eye 15which is connected to the eye 16, of the rod 17. The rod 17 is fulcrumedintermediate of its ends to the staple 18 carried by the rear wall 5 ofthe captivity chamber and with the base and trip treadle engaging hook19. This treadle engaging hook 19 is so disposed as to receive the bail20, which is composed of a single piece of wire and is bent'so that theterminals 21 will carry the treadle 22 with the angled members 23 at thefulcrum point of the treadle when in the position as shown in Fig. 2.

When the present trap is used to entrap animals having burrows, theguiding member 24 is attached to the top thereof, so that the wings 25will thereof,

depend downwardly and thus confine the device so that the inlet end ofthe trap will be adjacent the opening of the pen, thus insuring thepassage of the animal into the captivity chamber.

In order to hold the trap in position so that the same will not be movedaccidentally, either by the animal or by the elements, two staples 26are attached to the rear Wall thereof so that the spike 27 may beemployed to be driven in the ground.

When the trap is in set position or as shown in Fig. 2, the fulcrumpoint 23 of,

the treadle will rest upon the floor of the trap so that the forward endthereof will beabove the floor, with the bail member 20 engaging thehook 19 below the bait carried thereby. Thus, when the rodent enters thetrap, and m JCS to the rear thereof, to detect the bait, he is forced tostand upon the treadle 22, at which time, the same acting as a leverwith the point 23 the fulcrum will move the hook 19 forwardly andconsequently pull upon the rod 14- to release the same from the door 16to the action of the,

springs 9. Thus, the door will be snapped closed and the rodentcaptured.

Should the rodent be of a type that the law prevents from capture, thepresent trap will retain the same so that when the trapper makes therounds of the trap, the door 6 may be elevated and the rodent bepermitted to escape.

By using the auxiliary member 12, various sized rodents may be caught bythe present trap as the opening 13 will regulate the size that ispermitted to pass within the captivity chamber.

W hat is claimed is:

1. An animal trap, including a captivity chamber open at one end, a trapdoor controlling saidopen end, said trap door being opened inwardly, alongitudinally slidable trigger rod suspended from the top of thechamber and extending to the rear end the forward end thereof being inthe path to engage and hold the door open,

a lever carrying a bait hook pivoted intermediate of its ends to therear wall of the chamber, said lever having its upper end connected tothe trigger rod, and atreadle mounted at the rear of the captivitychamber'and having means for engaging the bait hook, whereby thedepression of the treadle operates the lever to withdraw the rod andrelease the door.

2. An animal trap, including a captivity chamber open at one end, a trapdoor controlling said open end, said trap door being opened inwardly, alongitudinally slidable trigger rod suspended from the top of thechamber and extending to the rear end thereof, the forward end thereofbeing in the uath to en a 'e and hold the door 0 Jen a levercarrying abait hook pivoted intermediate of its ends to the rear wall of thechamber, said lever having its upper end connected to the trigger rod,and an auxiliary door provided with a rodent receiving opening mountedin the forward end of the chamber to control the area or passage way tothe captivity chamber.

An animal trap, including a captivity chamber open at one end, anL-shaped rod having the short terminal thereof journaled transversely ofand at the upper forward corner of the captivity chamber, with the longterminal extending upwardly and constitut ing a lever and signal member,a trapdoor connected to the rod for controlling said open end of thecaptivity chamber, a spring mounted upon the short terminal of the rodand controlling the door to hold the door closed, a longitudinallyslidable trigger rod suspended from the top of the chamber and extendingto the rear end thereof, the forward end of the rod being disposed inthe path to engage the lower free end of the door when the door isopened, and a lever carrying a bait hook pivoted intermediate of itsends to the rear wall of the chamber and having its upper end connectedto the trigger rod.

4. An animal trap, including a captivity chamber open at one end, anL-shaped rod having the short terminal thereof journaled transversely ofand at the upper forward corner of the captivity chamber, with the longterminal extending upwardly and constitut.

and extending to the rear end thereof, the

forward end of the rod being disposed in the path to engage the lowerfree end of the door when the door isopened, a lever carrying a baithook pivoted intermediate of its ends to the rear wall of the chamberand having its upper end connected to the trigger rod, and a treadlemounted at the rear of the captivity chamber and having means forengaging the bait hook, whereby the depression of the treadle will thelever to withdraw the rod and the door.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARCHIE BLAKESLEE.

Witnesses:

A. 0. BROWN, 0. A. LANSON.

release Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

operate 7

